He Helped People Cheat at Grand Theft Auto. Then His Home Was Raided.

“They can’t technically protect the software, so they’re using scare tactics,” mentioned Mr. Anderson, 42, standing exterior his residence in southeast Melbourne, on a porch strewn with damaged electronics, a pale purchasing basket and a cactus.

The raid, Mr. Anderson mentioned, got here after weeks of surveillance. Early on the morning of Sept. 25, his computer systems and arduous disks have been seized.

Mr. Anderson, who doesn’t presently have a job, was additionally prohibited from utilizing or disposing of any property — excluding for modest dwelling bills — and was restrained from additional growing or distributing Infamous and another cheat software program.

Failing to take action, the court docket order famous, might end in his imprisonment. He is appearing as his personal legal professional, he mentioned, and has but to file a protection.

“They’re just beating up on me,” Mr. Anderson mentioned of the sport publishers, arguing that the search and seizure order was a disproportionate response. Infamous was designed to assist gamers fight cheaters utilizing extra sinister modifications, virtually like an antivirus software program, he mentioned.

But Alex Walker, editor of the gaming web site Kotaku Australia, mentioned that Infamous was “just a straight-up cheat.” Cheats, he mentioned, “break and exploit parts of the game code to advantage the experience of one player at the disadvantage of other players.”

“It is genuinely harmful to the community,” he added.

In an announcement supplied to The Times, Take-Two Interactive mentioned it was “committed to protecting our multiplayer community from harassment and other disruptions to their shared entertainment experiences.”